Construction nears for landmark carbon capture projects

Making good on its promise of a £9.4bn investment in carbon capture technology from the Spending Review, the government has made a final investment decision on a Flintshire facility that could create carbon-free, net zero cement as well as an Ellesmere Port waste-to-energy plant.

Heidelberg Materials’ Padeswood in Flintshire could be a gamechanger for the construction industry, which continually grapples with how to build in a way that releases as few carbon dioxide emissions as possible.

The plant would be capable of producing EvoZero, a carbon-captured, net zero cement that would drastically reduce the carbon footprint of concrete used in buildings. It does this by capturing 95% of the carbon dioxide released during the cement-making process. This would then be transferred via a pipeline to depleted gas reservoirs in Liverpool Bay.

Heidelberg estimates that the Padeswood plant would be capable of capturing around 800,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

Because much of the carbon dioxide captured will have come from biomass fuels that cannot be otherwise recycled the cement produced at Padeswood would go beyond net zero to be net negative.

“Our new facility at Padeswood will be a world-leader,” said Heidelberg chief executive Simon Willis.

He added: “CCS is a growing sector worldwide and our Padeswood project is an exemplar, helping position the UK as a global force at the forefront of this technology. It will also pave the way to decarbonising our domestic cement industry, helping it remain competitive while mitigating against climate change.”

Over at Ellesmere Port’s Protos facility, Encyclis’s carbon capture facility would ensure that the group’s upcoming energy-from-waste power plant will be as green as possible by filtering through flue gases to remove the carbon dioxide. Like at Padeswood, the carbon dioxide would then go through the HyNet pipeline to be deposited at Liverpool Bay.

The energy-from-waste plant is currently in the commissioning phase, but when operational it will be able to turn 500,000 tonnes of waste into 49.9MW of baseload electricity for the National Grid.

The FID agreement means that the carbon capture element of the plan will be operational by mid-2029.

“We have secured a once-in-a-generation opportunity to begin decarbonising waste treatment in the UK,” said Encyclis chief executive Mark Burrows-Smith.

“This first full-scale carbon capture deployment in the UK enables us to continue providing an essential treatment service for non-recyclable waste while reducing carbon emissions, creating new skilled jobs and clearing a pathway for wider adoption across the industry,” he continued.

“We are not only building a carbon capture plant but setting the foundations for a new era of industry transformation which helps the UK achieve its greenhouse gas reduction targets and manage its resources more efficiently.”

Both projects are part of the HyNet Cluster.

David Parkin, chair of the HyNet Alliance, praised the announcement of the FID, calling it “a vote of confidence in the UK’s industrial future”.

He added: “Heidelberg Materials and Encyclis are investing in clean technology that will protect jobs, create new opportunities, and help local economies thrive. This is a clear demonstration that decarbonisation is not just about reducing emissions – it is also about driving economic growth and securing the long-term prosperity of our industrial heartlands.”

The two projects will secure 500 jobs and put the UK at the forefront of green technology, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Energy minister Michael Shanks said: “These trailblazing projects showcase North Wales and the North West’s workforce on the global stage – leading the charge in the clean industries of the future and powering Britain’s reindustrialisation.”

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens added: “We are making the UK a clean energy superpower while delivering the well-paid, highly skilled jobs of the future.  It is fantastic to see North Wales at the forefront of carbon capture and the hundreds of new jobs being created by these projects will help drive regional growth as well as accelerating our drive towards lower bills and energy security.”